Heat dissipation device including dust mask

ABSTRACT

A heat dissipation device includes a computer enclosure having a panel, a heat sink installed in the computer enclosure, a fan mounted on the heat sink, a duct and a dust mask. The panel defines an air intake therein. The duct includes a first end portion mounted onto the fan and a second end portion connected to the air intake of the panel so that a sealed access is provided for air straightly flowing from the air intake to the heat sink. The dust mask is removably mounted on the panel and covers the air intake for hindering dust particles from entering the computer enclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a heat dissipation device, and more particularly to a heat dissipation device having a dust mask combined to an air intake of an enclosure of a computer for preventing dust from entering the enclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Over the past few years, CPU speeds have been increasing at a dramatic rate. In order to more speedily processing information, CPUs have more transistors which consume more power and have higher clock rates. This leads to greater heat produced by the CPU in the computer. The heat can accumulate and generate unacceptable high temperature and thermal stress on the CPU, resulting in reliability performance degradation and system malfunction. Heat sinks have been added to all modern PC CPUs to help to dissipate the heat from the processors into the surrounding environment. A Fan is generally mounted onto the heat sink to accelerate air to enter and exit an enclosure in which a CPU is placed, in order to enhance air convection in the enclosure.

However, air outside of the enclosure always contains dust particles. When the air enters the enclosure, the dust particles are taken into the enclosure by the air. The dust particles are driven by the fan to the heat sink and finally stack onto the printed circuit board on which the CPU is installed. The dust particles can deteriorate the reliability performance of electronic elements on the printed circuit board and even destroy the electronic elements.

In order to remove the dust particles on the printed circuit board and protect the electronic elements on the printed circuit board from being adversely affected and destroyed, the enclosure is needed to be frequently opened so that a cleaning can be made to the electronic elements. After the dust particles on the printed circuit board are swept out, the enclosure is reassembled. This is labor consuming and troublesome for computer users. Additionally, frequent opening and reassembling of the enclosure make the electronic elements in the enclosure at the risk of spoilage.

What is needed, therefore, is a heat dissipation device including a dust mask, which is convenient to block dust particles from entering an enclosure of a computer.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A heat dissipation device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a computer enclosure having a panel, a heat sink installed in the computer enclosure, a fan mounted on the heat sink, a duct and a dust mask. The panel defines an air intake therein. The duct comprises a first end portion mounted onto the fan and a second end portion connected to the air intake of the panel so that a sealed access is provided for air straightly flowing from the air intake to the heat sink via the fan. The dust mask is movably mounted on the panel and covers the air intake for hindering dust particles from entering the computer enclosure. The dust mask has two spring hooks engaging in two holes defined in the panel and located adjacent to the air intake.

Other advantages and novel features will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a heat dissipation device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a panel of a computer enclosure and a dust mask of the heat dissipation device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, a heat dissipation device of a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a heat sink 10 functioning as a heat dissipation portion, a fan 20 mounted onto the heat sink 10 and functioning as an air driving portion, a duct 30 functioning as an airflow guiding portion, a computer enclosure wherein only a panel 40 is shown in FIGS. 1-3, and a dust mask 50 functioning as a dust particle filtering portion.

The panel 40 defines an air intake 42 for providing cooling air exterior of the computer enclosure with an access to enter the enclosure. The air intake 42 is extended through an edge of the panel 40. A concave flange 44 is formed at the panel 40, at a periphery of the air intake 42. A pair of locking ears 46 is further formed from opposite sides of the flange 44, respectively, extending toward each other. Each locking ear 46 defines a locking hole 48 therein.

The dust mask 50 is plate-shaped. A mesh portion 52 is formed at an end of the dust mask 50, for hindering dust particles contained in the cooling air outside the computer enclosure from entering the computer. A hem 54 is perpendicularly bent from an opposite end of the dust mask 50, for abutting against a side panel (not shown) of the computer enclosure near and perpendicular to the panel 40. The hem 54 can function as a gripping portion for a user to grasp to pull the dust mask 50 out of the panel 40 in order to replace it with a new one when the dust mask 50 is dirty, or to push the dust mask 50 into the panel in order to mount the dust mask 50. The dust mask 50 forms two inward projecting spring hooks 58 corresponding to the locking ears 46 of the panel 40 (clearly seen in FIG. 3). In order to install the dust mask 50 to the panel 40, the dust mask 50 is brought to slide on the flange 44 from the opened edge of the air intake 42 toward a middle of the panel 40 to reach a position at which the dust mask 50 entirely covers the air intake 42 of the panel 40. At the finally installed position, the spring hooks 58 resiliently lock in the holes 48 of the locking ears 46, respectively, so that the dust mask 50 is secured on the panel 40. The dust mask 50 can be removed from the panel 40 for cleaning or being replaced with a new one. For doing this, the spring hooks 58 are capable of being disengaged from the locking holes 48 when a large force is applied to the hem 54 to pull the dust mask 50 away from the air intake 42. Referring to FIG. 2, the dust mask 50 further forms three outward ribs 56 for facilitating to install the dust mask 50 to the panel 40 or remove the dust mask 50 from the panel 40. The ribs 56 are located near the hem 54. Summarily, the spring hooks 58 are slidable in and out of the locking holes 48 to conveniently install the dust mask 50 to the panel 40 or remove the dust mask 50 from the panel 40. In the preferred embodiment, the locking ears 46 and the spring hooks 58 cooperatively form an interlocking portion to lock the dust mask 50 to the panel 40.

The duct 30 comprises a first end portion (not labeled) mounted onto the fan to cover the fan 20, and a second end portion (not labeled) connected to the air intake 42 of the panel 40 and hermetically surrounding the mesh portion 52 of the dust mask 50, thereby forming a sealed access for air flowing from the air intake 42 of the panel 40 to the fan 30. Therefore, cooling air at exterior of the enclosure will be straightly drawn from the air intake 42 of the panel 40 into the duct 30 by the fan 20, and then directly impinge on the heat sink 10 to dissipate heat thereof. Before the cooling air enters the enclosure, the dust mask 50 firstly filters dust particles contained in the cooling air, for keeping the cooling air entering the enclosure clean and thus protecting the electronic elements in the enclosure from being adversely affected or destroyed by the dust particles.

The heat dissipation device in the preferred embodiment provides a dust mask 50 which is conveniently installed to and removed from the panel 40 of the computer enclosure. As a result, dust particles are hindered from entering the enclosure. This avoids adverse affection or destroy of the electronic elements in the enclosure by the dust particles. The enclosure with a dust mask detachably mounted thereon is therefore no longer needed to be opened and reassembled again frequently in comparison with an enclosure without a dust mask. The electronic elements in the enclosure in accordance with present invention do not have the risk of spoilage due to frequent opening and reassembling of the enclosure.

The heat dissipation device of the preferred embodiment further provides a sealed access for air entering the enclosure from the air intake 42 of the panel 40 to the heat sink 10. This access results in that the cooling air straightly enters the duct 30 from the air intake 42 of the panel 40 and fully blows toward the heat sink 10, to enhance heat dissipation efficiency of the heat dissipation device.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention. 

1. A heat dissipation device, comprising: a panel of a computer enclosure defining an air intake; a heat sink installed in the computer enclosure; a fan mounted on the heat sink; a duct comprising a first end portion mounted onto the fan and a second end portion connected to the air intake of the panel; a dust mask mounted on the panel and covering the air intake.
 2. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a concave flange is formed at the panel at a periphery of the air intake, and wherein the dust mask is slidable on the concave flange.
 3. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a pair of locking ears is further formed from the flange and extended toward each other.
 4. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of the locking ears defines a locking hole therein.
 5. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the dust mask forms inward spring hooks corresponding to the locking holes and being capable of sliding in and out of the locking holes.
 6. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust mask forms at least one outward rib for facilitating to install the dust mask to the panel or remove the dust mask from the panel.
 7. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust mask comprises a mesh portion for filtering dust particles.
 8. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dust mask is detachable from the panel.
 9. A heat dissipation device comprising: a computer enclosure defining an air intake; a heat dissipation portion mounted within the computer enclosure; an air driving portion mounted on the heat dissipation portion for driving air to the heat dissipation portion; an airflow guiding portion between the air driving portion and the air intake to guide air flow from the air intake to the air driving portion; and a dust particle filtering portion detachably mounted at an exterior of the computer enclosure and covering the air intake, to filter dust particles contained in air before the air enters the computer enclosure.
 10. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one rib is formed at the filtering portion for facilitating to install the filtering portion to the computer enclosure or remove the filtering portion from the computer enclosure.
 11. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 9, wherein a concave flange is formed at the computer enclosure at a periphery of the air intake, and wherein the filtering portion is slidable on the concave flange.
 12. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 9, wherein an interlocking portion is formed between the computer enclosure and the filtering portion to lock the filtering portion to the computer enclosure.
 13. The heat dissipation device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the interlocking portion comprises a spring hook formed on the filtering portion and a locking ear formed on the computer enclosure and defining a locking hole therein, and wherein spring hook is capable of sliding in the locking hole to lock the filtering portion to the computer enclosure and sliding out of the locking hole to detach the filtering portion from the computer enclosure.
 14. A computer system comprising: a computer enclosure having a panel defining an air intake; a heat sink received in the computer enclosure and adapted for thermally contacting with a heat-generating electronic component; a fan mounted on the heat sink; a duct having a first end located proximate to the fan and a second end opposite the first end, the second end being attached to the panel and surrounding the air intake; and a dust mask removably mounted on the panel and having a dust filtering portion covering the air intake.
 15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the air intake extends through an edge of the panel.
 16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the panel forms a concave flange at a periphery of the air intake, and the dust mask is slidably mounted on the concave flange.
 17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the panel includes a pair of ears extending from opposite sides of the flange, the dust mask includes two spring hooks engaging with the ears, respectively.
 18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the dust mask has a mesh portion surrounded by the second end of the duct.
 19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the dust mask forms a hem located adjacent to the through edge of the air intake, and a plurality of ribs formed on an outside of the dust mask and located near the hem.
 20. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the dust mask has a plurality of spring hooks engaging in the panel. 